Gezina van der Molen : a journey from universalism to pluralism

Abstract

In many of her roles she was the first woman in a man’s world: the first woman to obtain a doctorate at the Free University of Amsterdam; the first female professor at that university; the first woman to be appointed as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Gezina van der Molen was also a prominent figure in the Dutch resistance and controversial for her work as Chairwoman of the ‘Committee for War Foster Children’. Initially heavily inspired by the religious and moral principles of Neo-Calvinism, but through her increasing encounter with plurality Van der Molen faced a dilemma that still confronts international lawyers today: given that there are many different readings of what justice requires, who should be able to determine its meaning in concrete circumstances?